Vavi’s Cosatu breakaway set for May 1 launch, gets Solidarity’s conditional support

By Genevieve Quintal.Johannesburg – The Workers Summit, a breakaway from the Congress of SA Trade Unions, is hoping to launch a new trade union federation in the next three to four months, its steering committee said on Tuesday..Around 3 000 delegates, representing more than 40 trade unions, were expecting to meet on April 30 for a national summit to discuss this, committee convener Zwelinzima Vavi told reporters in Johannesburg.."We hope that the workers' summit will adopt a resolution to launch a new federation in the next three to four months and declare that all the unions present forthwith constitute a new, independent, militant and campaigning federation and elect an interim leadership.."Work will begin on the new principles, constitution, the logo, colours, etc, if the majority decides to pass the resolution calling for the establishment of the new federation.".The formation of a new trade union federation was proposed after the National Union of Metalworkers of SA was expelled from Cosatu in November 2014. It was expelled for deciding not to support the ANC in the general elections that year, which was against Cosatu's constitution. Vavi, who was Cosatu's general secretary, was expelled in March 2015..Vavi said they were under no illusions, and that starting a new federation would need their full attention in the next few years.."It must be remembered that it took four long years to establish Cosatu, and therefore we are beginning to put in place the building blocks of a trade union federation." – News24.Source: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/new-trade-union-federation-could-be-launched-within-months-vavi-20160412.South African Unions to Form Rival Federation to Cosatu on May 1.By Amogelang Mbatha and Michelle Gumede.(Bloomberg) — South African labor unions in industries including mining and manufacturing plan to form a new federation to compete against the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the country's largest worker group and an ally of the ruling African National Congress..More than 3,000 delegates from 40 unions will meet on April 30 to decide on the new federation, Zwelinzima Vavi, the former general secretary of Cosatu, told reporters in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The new umbrella body should then be announced at a rally on May 1.."We need trade union unity. A majority of unions are calling for a new federation." Vavi said. "The issues of workers have fallen off the agenda — such as corruption, unemployment, inequality and poverty.".Vavi, 53, an outspoken critic of the ANC's economic policies and alleged corruption under President Jacob Zuma, led Cosatu for 16 years before being expelled last year. Vavi had opposed a decision by Cosatu leaders to eject its biggest affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, which had refused to support the ANC in national elections in 2014..The new federation will include the 365,000-member Numsa, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, which led a five month strike at the world's biggest platinum mines in 2014, and the Food and Allied Workers Union, Vavi said..Solidarity declares conditional support for new trade union federation .Trade union Solidarity today, after the press conference on the establishment of the new trade union federation led by Zwelinzima Vavi, declared its conditional support for this federation. The trade union was one of several role-players that attended today's conference..Solidarity General Secretary Gideon du Plessis said that despite fundamental ideological differences preventing Solidarity from joining the federation, Solidarity supports the federation insofar as the federation unites prominent trade unions, smaller federations, unaffiliated trade unions and splinter trade unions into one body in order to tackle campaigns more efficiently. The federation thereby endeavours to ward off the retrenchment bloodbath..Despite Solidarity's unaffiliated approach, the trade union would like to participate in joint campaigns with Cosatu and the new federation against, for example, corruption, e-toll, high electricity tariffs and bad governance because those are the type of issues that destroy jobs," Du Plessis said.

Vavi’s Cosatu breakaway set for May 1 launch, gets Solidarity’s conditional support

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